Latin American and Latinx Studies Minor

Latin American and Latinx Studies Minor

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Enhance your career with a minor in Latin American and Latinx Studies

The minor in Latin American and Latinx Studies offers an interdisciplinary approach that allows you to develop a better appreciation for and understanding of multifaceted aspects central to contemporary and past Latin American societies and/or to Latinx communities in the U.S. You will consider their histories, literatures, and cultural knowledge; identity, Latinidad, and diaspora; systems of power and privilege; the arts—visual, performing, and/or alternative manifestations—as mechanisms to express identity, ideology, or resistance; and socio-political processes, among other topics. Due to its nature, the minor in Latin American and Latinx Studies also provides new opportunities for service learning and community engagement. Courses are taught in English unless noted otherwise.

Check out the different Latin American and Latinx Studies courses waiting for you at Worcester State
LA-150 Introduction to Latinx Cultures in the U.S.
Introduction to the Latinx experience in the U.S. Students examine issues of language, identity, culture, and immigration among Latinx communities. Students explore the history of Latin American diaspora communities to identify cultural traits and identity marks. By discussing these topics, students analyze the particular significance and contribution of Latinx people and their relationship with their countries of origin. In order to achieve that goal, students examine and compare different types of sources including official documents, media releases, films, and podcasts. The class is conducted in English.
3 credits
LA-350 Immigration, Dreamers, and Latinx Youth Issues
Students explore issues regarding Latinx immigration, citizenship, and the fate of Latinx youth in the U.S. Students examine U.S. immigration policies and reforms, focusing on Latinx populations and the current immigration debate. Through newspaper articles, scholarly articles, and films, students analyze and discuss relevant topics such as constitutional regulations related to documented and undocumented Latinx immigrants, visa and green card issues, and access to education for young Latinx populations, including DREAMers and DACA students. Class discussions include legal, economic, and political issues related to immigration policies and the impact these have on youth. The class is conducted in English.
3 credits
LA-355 Latin American Fiction
This course familiarizes students with Latin American works of fiction and provides them with an overview of literature written throughout the region during the twentieth century. The course focuses on narrative and discusses a variety of literary movements, aesthetics, and techniques such as realism, fantastic literature, magical realism, crime fiction, and postmodernism. Authors include Horacio Quiroga, María Luisa Bombal, Gabriel García Márquez, Adolfo Bioy Casares, Julio Cortázar, Rosario Ferré, Mario Vargas Llosa, among others. The class is conducted in English.
3 credits
LA-360 Survey of Latin American Cinema
Organized both chronologically and nationally, the course focuses on clusters of Latin American films (both feature and documentary) that have intervened in a series of social and cultural debates: colonization, migration, modernity, tradition, inequality, national utopias, etc. Students develop their skills in film analysis as they examine the specific role of film in representing, contesting, or defining questions of national, personal, and cultural identity in the region. Class discussions and assignments familiarize students with the characteristics of the distinct film aesthetics and socio-political and cultural contexts in which these works were produced. The class is conducted in English.
3 credits
SP-101 Beginning Spanish I
Basic oral and written proficiency for daily communication; may be taken as a self-contained unit or as a basis for further development. Audio-visual method.
3 credits
SP-102 Beginning Spanish II
Continuation of Beginning Spanish I.
3 credits
SP-210 Intermediate Spanish I
Review of language constructions and everyday vocabulary at a slighter faster pace than an elementary course. Grammar review starts with the most basic structures, such as present, preterite, and imperfect tenses; ser/estar; por/para; command forms; and pronouns, and ends with present subjunctive. Vocabulary fields include feelings and emotions, urban living, family relationships, the media, and the environment. Readings, videos, and short films related to different Spanish-speaking countries add a cultural component to the course.
3 credits
SP-293 Health and the Latino Community
Students explore the ways in which language and culture shape the approach to health and health care experiences of Latinos in the U.S. and the factors that contribute to health disparities among this group (social, cultural, economic, environmental, and biological). Students examine how health outcomes and risk factors are arrayed across different generations. Language barriers and sociolinguistic issues are also studied. Students identify and discuss causes of health inequities, survey major Latino health issues, and analyze the current and future context of Latino health and health care in the U.S.
3 credits
SP-321 Advanced Spanish Composition I
Facility in prose writing, study of style of selected authors, variety of expression through word discrimination, and advanced grammatical structures.
3 credits
SP-323 Advanced Spanish Conversation Through Film
The main objective of this course is to develop the student's oral proficiency and communication skills while building on vocabulary and learning about different aspects of the Hispanic cultural world with a special emphasis on immigration issues. The class format is mainly based on group/pair discussions and debates in which students ask questions, express their views, elaborate on their ideas, and defend them by providing supporting examples drawn from their own experiences, analysis, or comparisons.
3 credits
SP-332 Cultures of Latin America
Introduction to the cultures and history of Latin America from pre-Columbian times to the present day. This course introduces students to colonial, modern, and contemporary cultural, historical, and political issues that influenced the development of Latin American identities. The course is taught in Spanish.
3 credits
SP-333 Hispanic Presence in US
Socio-cultural study of Hispanics in the United States, with a focus on major contemporary issues. Conducted in Spanish.
3 credits
SP-346 Latin American Theater
Exploration of the historical and aesthetic development of Latin American theater, focusing upon the particular factors that distinguish this theater from the Western European tradition. Students analyze dramatic texts (from Argentina, Uruguay, Perú, México, Puerto Rico, Chile, Cuba, and Colombia), performances, and critical and theoretical perspectives to engage in the following questions: How does theater create and represent social and political transformation? How might we reevaluate civic responsibility and accountability through the study of audience? What are the major innovations in Latin American theater and performance in the 20th and 21st centuries?
3 credits
SP-347 Latin American Colonial Literature
This course examines the colonial history of the American continent as interpreted through the various historical accounts written by eyewitnesses of the conquest. The course covers two centuries of writings from the late fifteenth to the seventeenth century and examines many historical accounts of the conquest, letters, documents, poetry, and other historical artifacts to learn of the social, political, religious, and economic significance of the colonial era. It combines an overview of the political economy of the region over three centuries with a study of how social groups interacted among themselves and with imperial rule over time.
3 credits
SP-349 Spanish-American Literature
Representative works from South and Central American authors from the colonial period to the present.
3 credits
SP-390 Spanish for Native Speakers
This course is designed for native or heritage speakers of Spanish who have oral proficiency but may not have received formal training in the language. These students were raised speaking Spanish at home. Therefore, this course is designed to work with the language base students already possess. All of four language skills (listening, speaking, reading, and writing) are emphasized; however, the purpose of the course is to develop reading and writing skills through cultural-related activities.
3 credits
HI-213 Colonial Latin America
The people of Latin America from pre-Columbian societies to the wars for independence, focusing on race, sex, and power.
3 credits
HI-214 Modern Latin America
The people of Latin America from independence to the present, focusing on race, sex, and power.
3 credits
HI-226 Latin American History Through Film
This course explores how filmmakers have portrayed Latin American history in their movies.
3 credits
HI-230 Nicaragua, the U.S., and the World
The course examines the impact of globalization and imperialism on the lives of Nicaraguans at home and in their diasporic communities.
3 credits
HI-233 History of Latin America
The Spanish conquest, colonial institutions, wars of independence, and development of Mexico, Brazil, and Argentina.
3 credits
HI-247 Central America and the Caribbean
This survey examines the political, cultural, and social history of Central America and the Caribbean from pre-Columbian times to the present with an emphasis on the twentieth century.
3 credits
HI-267 US-Latin American Relations
This course analyzes the political, economic, social, and cultural impact of the interactions between and among the governments and people of the U.S. and Latin America.
3 credits
HI-333 Women in Latin America
Examines the roles of women in diverse societies including Mexico, Brazil, and Caribbean nations. Emphasis on the modern period.
3 credits
PO-222 Latin American Politics
This course provides a comparative study of the government and politics of contemporary Latin America. It explores the political systems of various countries as well as how political dynamics such as democratization, authoritarianism, and crisis situations have affected political, economic, and social policies throughout the region.
3 credits
SO-228 Latina-Latino Experiences in the U.S. and the World
This course surveys current theoretical approaches used to explain Latina/o experiences and provides an empirical overview of how social institutions affect the daily lives of Latinas and Latinos in the U.S. and the world.
3 credits
SO-307 Puerto Rican Diaspora
This course surveys a wide range of Puerto Rican experiences and provides an overview of how social structures shape the daily lives of Puerto Ricans in the United States. Through a focus on diasporas, the course centers on migration as a key experience within Puerto Rican imaginaries. The course explores the sociological themes of identity, race, ethnicity, language, gender, sexuality, social class, and stratification through the lens of Puerto Rican struggle and resistance. Puerto Rican diasporic communities are examined at the intersections of colonialism, modernity, and neoliberal globalization.
3 credits

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